Dumbarton members of the Skylark Trust, who travelled to France last month for the Dunkirk anniversary, have told of how emotional the experience was.

A party of 18 from the Dumbarton area made the journey to the French port to mark the 75th year since the evacuation of British troops from the beaches ahead of the German onslaught. Among the “little ships” that carried British soldiers home was the Skylark IX, a small boat that later sank in the River Leven and which the Dumbarton-based trust is trying to have fully restored.

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The group carried with them a replica model of the vessel, made by members of the Skylark Trust. The trust is an offshoot of Alternatives, the Dumbarton-based service that helps recovering addicts, some of whom have been involved in working on the boat’s restoration.

Those who went on the trip included Anne Dyer, a team leader at Alternatives, and Lawrie Pennycook, from Dumbarton Cine, Video and Digital Club, who filmed the five-day visit and who has made a shortened video exclusively for the Lennox Herald.

Anne said: “It was the experience of a lifetime. It was a living experience of history and felt really like being part of those events. We went to key points on a bespoke tour that told the story of the evacuation. But it was more than that.

“For me, it was the biggest educational experience. It was like one big history class, particularly for those of us who didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of what happened other than what our wee boat did. We actually got an idea of what the soldiers had to deal with over there. It was quite emotional and very respectful.”

Lawrie added: “One of the key points was when we went onto the beach at Dunkirk for a special service of remembrance. We stood on the slipway looking left and right and at the sea. There was nothing for miles and we tried to imagine 50,000 people on that beach trying to get off it under attack from the Germans. It was impossible to sense how horrific it must have been.”

Also in the touring party were Kate and Paul Cross, representatives of the Armed Forces Veterans’ Association (Dumbarton), who are based in offices on platform two at the town’s Central Station. Anne said: “It was a wonderful accolade for us to have them as part of the group. They were there to represent all the folk they work to look after.

“We had our private service on the beach and at one point I was slightly apart from the circle and all I could see was our lads, with their heads bowed and their Skylark sweatshirts with the word ‘crew’ on the back. They could have been the men of 75 years ago because the Skylark’s crew were not servicemen – they were just ordinary guys. It was so emotional. I was so humbled. We were there to honour our people and I am so glad we went. That was the highlight of the trip for me.”

Another spin-off benefit is how the trip engendered an interest in past events among the Alternatives group. Anne said: “Not many of the group, including me, were into history before the visit but it has generated a real thirst for history. It’s opened up so much. We thought we would go and pay homage in a respectful way but when you see how much came on top of that, it was really amazing.”

Lawrie added: “You could see how it affected our lads over there. It was really heartwarming to see how interested they were in a subject they knew absolutely nothing about.”

Next up for the trust members is to organise a screening of Lawrie’s full film of the visit but no date has yet been set. Anne said: “We are hoping for August or September but we don’t know exactly when.”

The other project is to build another replica model or the Skylark IX for donation to a Dunkirk museum at Wormhoudt. “Everyone in France was interested in our wee boat,” said Anne.

And the trust members are trying to establish a timeline for the restoration of the Skylark IX, which is in a boatyard at Clydebank. Anne said: “We need the financial underpinning to make this happen. We’ve done a lot of the foundation work and have brought the community together and stirred up a desire among people to make this happen. What we need now is to actually focus on how we get there. Now is the time for those who want to help and who have the knowledge to come forward.

“The first thing we need is a more in-depth survey of the boat so that we have an accurate calculation of what she needs. And we need funding and have been in touch with the Heritage Lottery Fund, so that’s a maybe. If there is anybody out there who would like to help, we’d love to hear from them. We need expert knowledge.”

Anyone who can help should contact the Lennox Herald on 0141 309 3517 or email news@lennoxherald.co.uk.